Combination closet tank cover and ventilator



Jan. 1s, 193s. Q C, Noms j 2,105,794

COMBINATION CLOSET TANK COVER AND VENTILATOR Filed Feb. 8, 19.37

s rwvrm l Char/ef C Vo/wif Patented Jan. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE COMBINATION CLOSET TANK COVER AND VENTILATOR 8 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the art of Ventilating waterclosets. More particularly the invention resides in the provision ofimproved means for the positive ventilation of water closet bowls.

Ventilation of the Water closet bowl is usually accomplished by means ofa blower, or exhaust fan, and suitable conduits associated therewith toconduct the gases from the bowl to a point remote from the room Wherethe water closet is located. The blower is often installed in the roomwith the Water closet. If the blower is located in the room with thewater closet it takes up space, and in the modern home presents an yundesirable appearance. Usually if the blower is located in the tank ofthe water closet it must of necessity be driven by a water motor as theatmosphere in the tank is so damp as to make it an impracticable placefor the installation of an electric motor. Furthermore, the limitedspace available in the tank is a disadvantage and if the blower islocated there, both the blower and the ordinary working parts of thewater closet are then rendered diii'icult of accessibility.

The blower may be located at a. point remote from the water closet tovbe ventilated, but this type of construction has the disadvantage ofhigher cost, since it is difcult to install and usually entailsadditional material.

In View of the disadvantages of the present methods of Ventilating waterclosets it is a primary object of this invention to provide aventilating attachment for water closets which overcomes all of thedisadvantages of the present methods of ventilation and which is in-theform of a combination tank cover and Ventilating unit.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a Ventilatingattachment for water closets which may be easily and quickly installedon either a 40 one-piece or two-piece water closet at the time the watercloset is installed or at any subsequent time.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a Ventilatingattachment of the type indi-l cated which will eiciently and positivelyventilate the bowl of a water closet and which may be operable asdesired. In this connection it is an object to provide means for givinga sensible indication when the device is operating.

These objects are attained in the structure shown in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a modern water closet embodying apreferred form of the invention. A portion of the water closet is brokenaway to facilitate illustration.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view through the tank cover member andthe upper portion of the tank on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan view on line 4 4 of Fig. l, shownturned at 90 degrees.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modied form of theinvention for use on water closets which are placed ilush with the wallof a building.

Referring to the drawing, reference numeral I I generally indicates thebowl of a modern onepiece water closet above which is located a flushtank I2. Reference numeral I3 generally indicates a combination tankcover and Ventilating unit adapted to t over and form the top closure ofthe tank I2.

Establishing communication between the ush tank and the bowl in theordinary water closet construction is a iiush pipe (not shown) which hasan inlet in the tank and an outlet in the perforated conduit I4 in therim of the bowl. It is the usual construction of water closets toinclude an overflow pipe which has its inlet in the upper portion of thenush tank just above the desired normal water level and which has itsoutlet in the perforated conduit in the rim of -the bowl. The positionand construction of these overflow pipes vary in the different types ofwater closets,

so for purposesr of illustration a modern onepiece water closet whichhas the overow pipe cast in one corner of the tank has been shown.Referencenumeral YI5 indicates the overiow pipe which communicates withthe conduit I4 in the bowl'by means of passage I6.

Thisinvention contemplates the use of the overflow pipe as the means forconducting the undesirable gases from the bowl vto the upper portion ofthe tank. It is evident that if a partial vacuum is created in space I lin the upper part of the tank the gases in the bowl will enter the wateroutlet holes I4' in the conduit rIii and be drawn through the overowpipe I5 into space I'I.

The invention lies principallyin the provision of unique means foreiecting the partial vacuum in the space I 1, it being understood thatoverflow vpipes as described above have been used in connecton withother Ventilating apparatus. The

means for eiectingthispartial vacuumin the f `space I'I consists of acombination tank cover and Ventilating, unit generally indicated by I3.The cover differs from the ordinary tankr cover ,mini that it has aconvex enlarged portion I 9 which l'us provides room for housing ablower unit, generally indicated by reference numeral 2'0 in the covermember. Around its lower edge the cover has a depending ange portion` 2|adapted to fit over the tank I2. The flange portion 2I terminates in ashoulder 22. Adapted to be positioned against shoulder 22 is a sealingmeans 23 which may be formed of sponge rubber or other suitablematerial. This sealing means is interposed between the upper edge of thetank I2 and the shoulder 23 of the cover and thus provides a iluid sealbetween the cover and the tank.

A floor 25 is mounted in the cover by means of suitable screws (notshown) for the purpose of supporting and encasing the blower unit 20 inthe enlarged portion I9 of the cover. The blower 20 is secured to thefloor 25 by means of bolts 26. It has an inlet 21 which extends througha hole 25' in the floor 25 and which is in open communication with thespace I'I in the tank I2. The blower has an outlet, or exhaust, 28 whichextends through a hole I9 in the rear of the enlarged portion I9 of thecover 20.

Between the inlet 21 and oulet 28 is an impeller, or fan, 29 mounted onshaft 30. The shaft is driven by an electric motor 3l which is connectedto any suitable source of electric potential by means of cord 31. In themotor circuit is a snap switch 32 which extends through an opening 33 inthe front of the enlarged portion I9 of cover I8. Also electricallyconnected in the motor circuit is a lamp generally indicated byreference numeral 34 which has a suitable protective and decorativeslotted cover 35. The lamp extends through an opening 36 in the enlargedportion I9 of the cover I8. Both the switch and lamp are mounted on abracket 38, which, for convenience is mounted between the oor 25 and theblower 20 on one of the bolts 26.

A suitable cover plate 39 is placed over the outlet 28 and is attachedto the `cover by means of screws 40. This plate serves to seal theopening I9' in the enlarged portion I9 of the cover I8. In thisconnection the outlet 28 as shown in Fig. 3 is so located that it may bebrought out at right angles to the rear side of the enlarged portion I9through the hole I9 which is centrally disposed with relation to theends of the cover. The outlet 28 of the blower is adapted to beconnected to a vent pipe 42 although it is not necessary that the endsof these pipes be tightly fitted together, as such pipes areusuallysealed in the Wall at their inner ends during construction of thebuilding. The vent pipe 42 is located within the wall of the building,one portion of the wall being indicated at 43, and may have its outletat any suitable point. In this connection it is not essential to use avent pipe if the outlet 28 is sealed into a wall which has an outlet ata suitable point.

In the form of the invention wherein the water closet is adapted to bespaced from the wall a short distanceAas in Fig. 3, a anged collar 45 isprovided which fits over the outlet 28 and is provided with a set screw46 for adjustably mounting it on the outlet. Mounted on the flanged side45' of the collar is a ring 41 of suitable sealing material, such assponge rubber. This ring serves to seal the outlet 28 into the wall 43and any gas discharged from the outlet will be con veyed away throughthe vent pipe 42.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modied construction for 'use in sealing the outlet,here indicated as 28a of the blower unit into the wall 43 when it isdesired to place the water closet flush with the wall. In order toprovide adequate room between the wall and the rear of the cover theenlarged portion, here indicated as I9a, is formed closer to the frontof the cover, thereby leaving the shelf portion 50. This constructionleaves a space 5I between the enlarged portion I9a of the cover and thewall 43a which is of ample size to accommodate the sealing means, heregenerally indicated as 52.

In the operation of the invention, the switch 32l is closed, therebycompleting an electric circuit through the motor 3| in the blower 20 andthrough the lamp 34. The lamp thus gives a sensible indication that thedevice is in operation. Operation of the motor in the blower serves torotate impeller 29 which forces gas out through the outlet 28 andthrough the vent pipe 42, thus creating suction in the inlet pipe 21 andsuction or a partial vacuum in the space I1 in the upper portion of thetank I2. The normal atmospheric pressure of the air forces the noxiousgases in the bowl II into the flushing water outlet holes as indicatedby the arrows in Fig. 3 and in turn The gases are then;

into the overow pipe I5. conducted through pipe I5 into space I1 andinto inlet 21 of the blower, and are forced out through the outlet 28and through vent pipe 42 to its outlet.

It should be apparent from the foregoing description of this inventionthat it has many advantages over the present apparatus used for theventilation of water closets. By reason of the fact that a simpleunitary Ventilating unit comprising a tank cover housing the ventilatoris provided the necessary apparatus extraneous to the water closetitself is reduced to a minimum. This materially facilitates installationand reduces the cost of Ventilating installations.

The construction whereby the blower outlet is centrally disposed withrelation to the ends of the cover also facilitates installation of thedevice, since the plumber knows that the vent pipe in the wall should beopposite the center of the water closet.

Finally, the invention described above gives a positive sensibleindication when it is operating so that there is little chance that itWill be left in operation when not needed.

Although the invention has been set forth as embodying a specificconstruction, it is possible to change details in the constructionWithout departing from the scope of the invention which is indicated bythe appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A Ventilating attachment for use in combination with a water closethaving a bowl and a flush tank which comprises a hollow cover adapted tot over the tank and form the top closure thereof, and a blower unithoused within said cover.

2. A Ventilating attachment for use in combination with a water closethaving a bowl and a flush tank which comprises a cover adapted to t overthe tank to form the top closure thereof, and a blower housed in saidcover, said blower having an inlet in open communication with the tankabove the water level therein and having an outlet externally of saidcover.

3. A Ventilating attachment for use in combination with a waterA closethaving a bowl and a ush tank which comprises a cover for the tank, ablower housed in said cover, said blower having a iluid inlet in opencommunication with the tank and having an outlet externally of the .u

tank, and an electric motor housed in said cover for operating saidblower.

4. In combination with a water closet having a bowl and a ush tanktherefor, means for removing gases from the bowl comprising a cover forthe tank, a blower housed in the cover, open conduit means from the bowlto the upper part of the tank above the water level therein, meansproviding a seal between the tank and said cover, and gas outlet meansin said cover.

5. In combination with a water closet bowl and a building wall having avent pipe therein, Ventilating means comprising a ush tank, conduitmeans for connecting the upper portion of said tank with the interior ofsaid bowl, a hollow cover member for the tank, means providing a sealbetween said cover member and said tank, a blower housed in said covermember having an inlet portion in open communication with the upperportion of said tank and having an outlet conduit extending externallyof said cover member, for conducting gases from said blower into saidvent pipe, a collar adiustably mounted on said outlet conduit, andsealing means mounted on said collar and adapted to engage said wall toseal said pipeY in the building wall.

6. For use in combination with a water closet having a bowl and a flushtank and having open conduit means between said bowl and the upperportion of said tank, a Ventilating unit comprising; a cover member forthe flush tank, said cover member having an enlarged upper portion andhaving a bottom closure member for said enlarged portion; and a blowermounted in said cover member above said closure member, said blowerhaving an inlet below said closure member in open communication withsaid flush tank above the water level therein and having an outletextending through said cover member.

7. For use in combination with a water closet having a bowl and a ushtank and having open conduit means between said bowl and the upperportion of said tank, a Ventilating unit comprising: a cover member forthe flush tank, said cover member having an enlarged upper portion andhaving a bottom closure member for said enlarged portion; a blowermounted in said cover member above said closure member, said blowerhaving an inlet below said closure member in open communication withsaid flush tank above the water level therein and having an outlet eX-tending through said cover member; an electric motor in said covermember for operating said blower; a switch mounted in said cover andextending therethrough, said switch and said electric motor beingconnected in an electric circuit so that the closing of said switchcompletes a circuit through said motor.

8. In combination with a water closet bowl having a flush tank,Ventilating means comprising: conduit means for connecting the upperportion of the tank with the interior of said bowl; a cover member forthe tank; means providing a seal between said cover member and saidtank; a blower; means providing open ooml

